Voices from the Edge

About the program …

Community dialogue is important. At 8am every Thursday Voices from the Edge lends a KBOO microphone to informed guests you might not hear anywhere else. With an hour to invest, the call-in format engages listeners in meaningful conversations about crucial issues like racial disparity, government accountability, environmental justice and politics on local, state and national levels. Join lively discussions about concerns that are important to you and our community. Together we’ll make Oregon and our nation a better place for a larger number of those living here.

About the host …

Jo Ann Hardesty is Principal Partner at Consult Hardesty. She serves as a subject matter expert on a myriad of issues and is available as a speaker, facilitator and campaign planner. A long-time voice for Portland's under-represented communities and a leader in the struggle against racial and economic injustice, Jo Ann was three times elected to the Oregon legislature and for many years Executive Director of Oregon Action. She’s been called on by the City of Portland to help re-write the City Charter and organizes those on the downside of power to pursue their interests from the local to the federal level. She is particularly committed to leadership development and in holding those in power accountable.

Join the conversation …

Join the conversation every Thursday morning from 8-9 a.m. by calling 503-231-8187. Keep the conversation going after the program at our blog at kboo.fm/voicesfromtheedge.

Last week investigative reporter Greg Palast was delayed at the doctor's office and only made it for the last ten minutes of Voices from the Edge. So host Jo Ann Hardesty has invited him back this week. She'll speak with him about his latest investigations. Find out the latest on how drilling in the Arctic means the end for Inuit communities and more.

Host Jo Ann Hardesty interviews investigative reporter Greg Palast. Greg generously donates his time to help raise money for Voices from the Edge and KBOO during our Membership Drives. Today he will continue the tradition. Tune in for the latest on Greg's current investigations. This is always a rockin and rollicking show!

Tune in on Thursday as we discuss the upcoming NAMI Northwest 5K Walk on Sunday, May 17, 2015 registration at Noon and the walk begins at 1:00PM.

None of us are immune to mental heatlh issues. In our lifetime we will be required to make decisons for loved ones or they for us that we won't feel prepared to address, That's where the National Alliance of the Mentally Illness comes in as a resource for family members, providers and others who need accurate information on resources available.

This coming May 1st marks the 15th anniversary of the May Day police riot in 2000. Portland Police Chief Mark Kroeker unveiled a new style of militarized police control on peaceful marchers that would spark a struggle for the right to protest and mark an early step in the militarization of our nation's police forces. Guest host Dave Mazza is joined by Chris Ferlazzo, an organizer with Portland Jobs with Justice and a videographer of the events to talk about Mayday 2000's impact on today's struggles for justice.

Voices from the Edge host Dave Mazza invited listeners to lead the conversation on issues they felt important. Among the topics discussed were the U.S.'s failure to support strong carbon reduction goals at the Copenhagen conference, the ongoing environmental threats of LNG terminals and pipelines proposed for the Oregon coast, and the importance of local activism.

Fourteen Oregonians died last month in five murder-suicides and one attempted murder suicide. Why this sudden outbreak now of men using guns to murder their spouses, ex-spouses and themselves when domestic violence homicides in Oregon have been on the decline? In 1997, 22 domestic violence homicides took place in Multnomah County alone. In recent years, the state average has been eight murder-suicides a year. Is it the economic climate, a lack of social services, or deep-rooted cultural issues?

This week on Voices from the Edge, Jo Ann and Dave talk with Jennifer Warren, LCSW, a counselor with Portland's Men's Resource Center/Women's Counseling Center since 1998. She specializes in domestic violence intervention and recovery, and has worked extensively with men and women arrested for domestic violence. Join us in this discussion about what's behind domestic violence murder-suicides, how the problem is being addressed and what needs to be done to stop the violence.

The conversation doesn't end when the program does. You can join in additional discussion of the week's issue on our blog at kboo.fm/voicesfromtheedge (click on the "blog" tab). You'll find additional information, important links, comments from other listeners and commentary from Jo Ann and Dave. Have a question for our guests, but can't call in during the program? Post your questions on line so we can make them a part of the Voices discussion.

﻿﻿﻿﻿Jo Ann and Dave talked about the recent demonstration by the Portland Police Association, in which the association expressed a vote of no confidence in Chief Sizer and Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman following the latter's decision to suspend Officer Chris Humphreys for excessive use of force against a 12-year-old girl.

The protest by the police resulted in Saltzman reversing his decision and letting Humphreys return to desk duty while the investigation of his actions continues. The discussion was whether contract negotiations between the police association and the city should include more public participation, whether officers should be required to reside within the Portland city limits, and whether a new effort should be made to create an independent civilian police review board.

Like their national counterparts, our local media is in a tailspin. The Oregonian is cutting more than 60 reporters from its newsroom. Television and radio news has been reduced to weather reports and traffic accidents. Developments on the internet hold promise, but right now is more opinion and little solid local reporting. How can our democratic institutions thrive if our citizens can't found out what is happening in their community.

This week on Voices from the Edge, Jo Ann and Dave talked with people who think the answer is for us to "make the media." Abraham Hyatt is former managing editor of the Oregon Business Journal and creator of Digital Journalism Portland. Cornelius Swart is publisher of The Sentinal and a member of the Portland Media Lab, a non-profit media thinktank. Hyatt, Swart and other concerned journalists are organizers of the WeMakeTheMedia Conference taking place November 21, where journalists and concerned citizens will take the first steps toward building a new kind of community journalism.

The conversation doesn't end when the program does. You can join in additional discussion of the week's issue on our blog at kboo.fm/voicesfromtheedge (click on the "blog" tab). You'll find additional information, important links, comments from other listeners and commentary from Jo Ann and Dave. Have a question for our guests, but can't call in during the program? Post your questions on line so we can make them a part of the Voices discussion.

Host Jo Ann Bowman speaks with Peter Phillips, co-editor of "Censored 2010: The Top 25 Censored Stories of 2009-2010." KBOO will be hosting a benefit for station the featuring Peter Phillips and Mickey Huff, co-editors. All proceeds except book sales will go to KBOO.

The list of city residents who've become victims at the hands of the Portland police continues to grow, leading Oregonian columnist Anna Griffin to observe the news stories about these incidents "makes the Rose City's finest look like thugs with badges." In the meantime, Chief Rosie Sizer's finding on the death of James Chasse - and her failure to punish the offending officers - suggests police accountability remains little more than a joke in our city. Why can't Portland hold its police force accountable? Should the mayor take back the police commissioner duties from Commissioner Saltzman? Where's the city auditor's Independent Police Review division in all this?

Jo Ann and Dave talk with Jason Renaud of the Mental health Association of Portland. Renuad's organization and other community groups are calling for the voluntary resignations of officers Kyle Nice, Christopher Humphreys and Bret Burton for the roll they played in the death of James Chasse, a mentally ill Portland who died in police custody. Dave and Jo Ann also look at how current contract negotiations between the city and the Portland Police Association affect efforts to create more accountability within the police bureau.

The conversation doesn't end when the program does. You can join in additional discussion of the week's issue on our blog at kboo.fm/voicesfromtheedge (click on the "blog" tab). You'll find additional information, important links, comments from other listeners and commentary from Jo Ann and Dave. Have a question for our guests, but can't call in during the program? Post your questions on line so we can make them a part of the Voices discussion.

As the current economic crisis deepens, more Oregonians are joining the ranks of the poor. With resources stretched to the breaking point, the ability to meet basic human needs is becoming more difficult.

Dave Mazza talks with Rachel Bristol, executive director of the Oregon Food Bank, about poverty in our state and how her organization is working to not only feed the hungry but to advocate for longterm systemic change.

On September 14, Senator Max Baucus(D-MT) unveiled a long-awaited health care plan that he believes will extend coverage to uninsured Americans and secure the support of both major parties. So far, the 233 page billhas drawn sharp criticism from all sides. What does the Baucus bill actually propose and how will it affect insured and uninsured Americans?

Jo Ann and Dave look at the details of the bill, the implications for those most at risk under our current health care system, and what Baucus' efforts to win Republican support means for the effor to pass health care legislation this year.

The conversation doesn't end when the program does. You can join in additional discussion of the week's issue on our blog at kboo.fm/voicesfromtheedge(click on the "blog" tab). You'll find additional information, important links, comments from other listeners and commentary from Jo Ann and Dave. Have a question for our guests, but can't call in during the program? Post your questions on line so we can make them a part of the Voices discussion.

Curtis Edward McCartywas convicted and sentenced to death twice for a 1982 murder in Oklahoma City. After repeated court battles and 21 years in prison - 19 on death row - McCarty was exonerated and released following a 2005 appeals court ruling based on new DNA evidence and findings of a "continued pattern of government misconduct." McCarty was the 124th person in the United States to be exonerated and released since 1973 after spending time on death row.

Jo Ann and Dave talk with McCarty about his experience and his struggle to win his freedom. Ron Steiner, an organizer with Oregonians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, will be joining the conversation to talk about what his organization is doing to end this lethal response to violent crime. McCarty and Steiner will be guest speakers that evening at the screening of the award-winning film The Exonerated at Salem's Progressive Film Series.

The conversation doesn't end when the program does. You can join in additional discussion of the week's issue on our blog at kboo.fm/voicesfromtheedge (click on the "blog" tab). You'll find additional information, important links, comments from other listeners and commentary from Jo Ann and Dave. Have a question for our guests, but can't call in during the program? Post your questions on line so we can make them a part of the Voices discussion.

Volunteers with the campaign to recall Mayor Sam Adams have a little over a month left to collect the 32,183 valid signatures from Portland voters needed to force the Portland mayor to resign or face a special recall election. Campaign organizers have told the press it will be close but support is growing. The campaign - sparked by revelations by Adams that he had lied about his relationship with one of his interns - has brought together strange political bedfellows - from former Adams supporters to extreme conservatives - as well as made Portlanders reflect on how we should judge our elected officials.

Jo Ann and Dave talk with campaign organizer Jasun Wurster about the campaign's chances of success and who has joined the ranks of Portlanders who think the mayor must go. Do you think the mayor's actions warrant his removal? Does focusing on recalling the mayor prevent Portlanders from addressing bigger problems facing our city?

Comments

I just wanted to post a link to an article about the foreclosure mills that make money off of the forsclosure mess. http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/07/david-stern-djsp-foreclosure-fannie-freddie?page=1

I did not hear an apology for you making a blatant distortion of my comment. I do not appreciate being lied about and especially by a campaign which you obviously are supporting which hypocritically poses as the moral arbitrator of the Universe regarding truth telling.

Again, let me clarify:

First off, I did not say, as was falsely stated by you and your guest, that politicians have a right to lie. I stated that everyone has a right to lie about their love life. That is a vastly different point and I bitterly resent being lied about on this.

This distortion (lie) by your guest and you is sadly emblematic of the hyperbolic nature of this entire pesudo-moralistic campaign.

I will receive your apology before I ever again associate with you or this program.

Will again and please correct your slander of me and misstatement of my comment.

First off, I did not say, as was falsely stated by JoAnn and your caller, that politicians have a right to lie. I stated that everyone has a right to lie about their love life. That is a vastly different point and I bitterly resent being lied about on this.

This distortion (lie) by your guest and JoAnn is emblematic of the hyperbolic nature of this entire pesudo-moralistic campaign.

It is a fact that Republicans involved in this are using this as an organizing tool. It is a fact that this campaign is making common-cause with anti-progressive forces.

It is this campaign that is the divisive force in our community.

This signature campaign is the darling of the right wing. This campaign is the best thing that has happened to the Multnomah Co. Republican Party since Theodore Roosevelt.

If this is about negative campaigning- WHY IS THIS SUCH A THOROUGLY NEGATIVE CAMPGAIGN. IT REDUCES POLITICAL DIALOG TO THE LEVEL OF A GRAMMER SCHOOL PLAYGROUND.

I agree, Peter. This article is germane: One outcome of Professor Gate’s arrest should be an understanding that “What lends legitimacy (to our legal system) is our belief that the police are dutiful servants of the people — not their arbitrary oppressors.”

The Declaration of Independence promptly asserts “… Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the consent of the governed.”

'Know Your Rights' training is imperative, as a 'check and balance' against unwarranted interference with the intent of the U.S. Constitution. An informed citizenry is a Public Good. Vigilance against abuse of power is actually a civic responsibility.

I know first-hand a tendency by Portland police to escalate situations that might be otherwise resolved. I have only an inkling of the mental pressures involved in policing, and but a dim suspicion as to the social handicaps that come with wielding weapons, spending so much time in the milieu of antisocial behavior, of having a community grant your uniformed subgroup status as The Enforcers. I would suspect such pressure, status and lethal equipment make it difficult to appreciate a role of Servant of the People.

Do you know what the common ground may be?

Law enforcement.

How can we change our dialogue so that a person of color, being thrown up against chain link fence – sometimes even without a pretext of wrongdoing – has standing when there is no probable cause that a crime is being committed?

By advocating that police actions adhere to Constitutional provisions for freedom from unwarranted search, to be secure in their possessions; would not this citizen also be involved in law enforcement?

One really ironic point I failed to make on the program is that, from the time of Chief Kroeker onward, it has likely been in the consciousness of Portland Police Bureau command that racial profiling actually inhibits criminal detection and prosecution. Simply the perception of police misconduct reduces the quality of public cooperation. One of the results of racial bias is that it is more difficult to secure leads and eventual witness testimony from a disenfranchised, victimized population of law-abiding citizens.

I suggest there will be a real reduction in crime (due to citizen cooperation) when and if policing is seen to be done lawfully. If it were a shared perception that people who oppose the immoral, unethical and illegal practice of racial profiling had merit as Constitutional law enforcers, I would think this a positive dynamic … and not just for people of color, but other negatively affected groups like the mentally ill, for whom self-advocacy is a supreme challenge.

Let us fuse training and dialogue. You mention the ‘well-trained cop.’ Perhaps ‘Know Your Rights’ training (and Oregon Action training includes de-escalation strategies) might dovetail with Portland Police Bureau training. What would be achieved if police training alerted officers that a segment of the population - fatigued by unconstitutional behavior - will be advocating for just and equitable treatment?

If that segment of the population included Police Commissioner Saltzman, Human Rights Commissioner Fritz, City Auditor Griffin-Valade and Mayor Adams, I think the Police union would find impetus to engage in negotiations for a means to weed out officers refusing to enforce the Constitution, state law, or bureau regulations.

To take up your point about police as public servants, the Auditor’s Independent Police Review Board is poised to actually adopt that frame of reference. Currently specializing in facts and figures, there is a component of their reporting primed and ready for public pressure to make this a prime frame of reference for assessing the Police Bureau’s functionality.

Perhaps better left for another blog, I just want you to know that civilian oversight of armed government activity is imperative as the nation pursues a War on Terror. If the City of Portland were to weigh in on fundamental human rights during the nation’s general expansion of police powers, it stands likely to do a Public Good that cannot now be calculated.

On this morning's (June 18) program Joann mentioned a man (I think she said "young" and "minority" )who is becomming active in environmental matters, I would like to talk with him about joining the planning and implementation of an event that is scheduled to take place on October 24th.

I am a member ot the Peace and Social Concerns Committee of the Multnomah Monthly Meeting of Friends (Quakers), and the organizer of a sub-group called "Global Coolers". We meet monthly and have taken the responsibility of informing the Meeting about global warming and involving them in efforts to lessen our individual and collective destructive impact on the planet.We have also hosted a couple of community events over the past several years.
Yesterday I learned that Bill McKibben, who is a leading activist in the environmental protection movement, is organizing a world-wide demonstration to take place on October 24: it is described on 350.org.
I want to make sure that Portland participates in this event.
I have not talked yet to other environmental activists about involvement (there may already be plans afoot) but I will do so in the next couple of days. In any case I will welcome all participants in the planning and execution of the event. My telephone number is 503-292-1817.
Thank you for your attention.
Peace, Jim

I was disturbed to hear this morning information that leads me to think I did not check out the ballot measures carefully enough. As an intelligent conservative, I find it both important and difficult to listen to KBOO and other left-of-center sources regularly, and the comments this morning made it clear that I should invest more energy into that effort.

On the other hand, I was a bit amused (and relieved of my nascent guilt) when I heard you adamantly insist that Measure 53 passed by a 76-24 margin because a day-old paper said so. It is possible that the Oregonian was that far off the mark - if so, I would assume that it was an early edition which showed very preliminary results. I went to three sources this morning of which two gave vote tallies. KATU.com indicates that as of 8am today the vote on 53 was YES 475,838 and NO 473,912 which is a margin of less than 2000 votes out of nearly 1 million. Rounded to the nearest percent, the vote is 50-50. KOIN.com had very similar (probably identical) numbers.

So I figure that if you let your personal opinions cloud such simple and easily ascertained facts, if you are so closed-minded that you will not double-check this when it is disputed, I need not concern myself with your judgment on the more complex issue of Measure 53 itself.